JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When the Jaguars traded Tyson Campbell to the Browns, many had assumed that Greg Newsome II would slot right into Campbell’s vacated spot in the lineup. It seems as though Montaric Brown has lifted the torch and claimed that title himself, playing exceptionally well the last several weeks.
As I stated, Brown’s been stellar in place of Campbell as the Jaguars starting outside cornerback. He’s allowing a reception just once every 19 snaps, third best among the top-106 CBs in the NFL. His 0.46 yards per snap similarly places him third among those same 106 CBs, a statistic that’s widely viewed as the best metric to gauge cornerback play.
He has tallied several key pass breakups as well, all of which would likely have been huge, explosive gains for the opposing offense. Since the Campbell/ Newsome II trade, Brown’s seen a huge uptick in snaps, 116 in total, just behind the 124 of Jourdan Lewis.
For comparison, Newsome II and Travis Hunter have just played 34 and 36 snaps, respectively. There’s a huge disparity between them and Brown’s total. Admittedly, the Rams forced the Jaguars into a lot of base down packages with three tight end sets, so the Jaguars will need to find the answer for that opposing outside corner spot going forward.
For now, though, it looks as though Montaric Brown has cemented himself as one of the team’s outside corners. Travis Hunter’s increased usage on offense lends more favorably towards Newsome II getting that opportunity outside; however, Hunter’s been statistically better in coverage in just about every notable metric.
I mentioned the yards allowed per coverage snap statistic being well-regarded as one of the better coverage metrics. Well, Hunter ranks 39th, while Newsome II ranks 101st among those 106 cornerbacks. There’s a lot to like about Newsome, but Hunter’s certainly impressed as a rookie.
The Jaguars didn’t have to answer who would be the third cornerback against the Rams, but they will need to against the Raiders, who run 11 personnel fourth-most among teams. The Raiders also happen to turn the ball over more than any other team in football. It could be a great day for someone to step up and make a statement in the secondary.
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